昔々、手まりは日本各地でつくられていました。
各藩の奥女中たちがお姫さまの玩具にと色とりどりの絹糸を使って艶やかな幾何学模様をかがったものが、いつしか庶民に広まったといいます。
母親たちは素朴な木綿糸で優美な柄を写しとり、
女の子たちは数えうたを口ずさみながら夢中で遊んだことでしょう。

一番はじめは一の宮、二に日光東照宮、三に讃岐のこんぴらさん……。

四国の北東部、瀬戸内海に面した香川県。
その昔は讃岐国と呼ばれ、江戸時代には「讃岐三白」で名を馳せました。
三白とは木綿、塩、砂糖を指し、いずれも温暖で雨が少ない土地ならではの名産品でした。
そんな三白のひとつである木綿の糸を使い、草木で染めてかがる手まりが、讃岐地方に伝わる昔ながらの郷土玩具で、私たち讃岐かがり手まり保存会の原点です。

女性の手から手へと、受け継がれてきた技法をきちんと守り、暮らしに息づく手まりでありたい。
ケースに入れて眺めるのでなく…。
身近に置いて親しんでいただければうれしく思います。

A long time ago, TEMARI, a thread-ball made of thousands of threads wound around a soft core, used to be hand-made in every part of Japan.
It is believed that it was first made for the princesses in each feudal domain by their maids. Each maid would embroider elegant geometric patterns with colorful silk threads, so that her princess can play with beautiful thread-balls, These thread-balls gradually became popular among common people later. Mothers would use plain cotton threads, emulating the elegant patterns, simply wishing to give something pretty to their daughters. And their daughters would one day become mothers and pass on the beautiful thread-balls to their daughters.

The gentle colors and soft touch of cotton was something particular to the thread-balls of SANUKI, which is an old name for the area located in the north east part of the Shikoku island, now called Kagawa. Due to its warm and dry climate, SANUKI, as a region, was able to produce cotton, salt and sugar of fine quality. Those three renowned products were called “the three whites of SANUKI” in the EDO period. Naturally, cotton was used for thread-balls in the area instead of silk, and it was dyed with natural materials. These have come to be the very characteristics of TEMARI in SANUKI region, something that every girl would have by her side growing up.

Our association aims at preserving the TEMARI; not just the methods and techniques of making one, but the whole culture that nurtured our unique products. From mother to daughter, and to granddaughter… Just like the way TEMARI was a part of their everyday life, we hope you will cherish our TEMARI as something dear to you.

藍、茜、刈安、蘇芳、紫根、胡桃、枇杷、柘榴などなど、草木染めした糸で、菊や桜やコスモスの花や日本の伝統模様を、幾何学的なかがりの技法により表現する……。先人の知恵を尊びながら昔どおりに進めても、そこに現代の感覚や工夫が入れば、いつしか新しさが生まれます。
「私自身が伝統的な手まりを知らなかったので、先入観なしに自分なりの工夫をしました。それが手まりに新鮮な空気を吹き込むことになったのかもしれません。手まりが今の暮らしに溶け込み、身近にあることを喜んでいただければ。だからこそ、自分が本当に素敵と思う感覚を生かして、手まりをつくっていきたいと思います」（荒木永子）
もうひとつ、大切にしていることがあります。糸をいじめない、ということです。草木による糸染めのときはもちろんのこと、かがるときも糸を極力しごかないように心がけます。そうすると毛羽立ちが抑えられ、木綿にもほのかな光沢があると気づかされます。また糸が重ならないように気をつけてかがると、面が整って模様の密度が高まり、木綿独特のふくよかさが引き立ちます。
手まりらしさを生かした作品もさまざまに開発しています。日々の楽しみに、またギフトや引出物として、お使いいただければ幸いです。

We pay respect to the footsteps of our predecessors and try to follow the traditional methods as much as possible. Dying threads with natural materials such as indigo, madder, Kariyasu plant, sappanwood, gromwell root, walnut, loquat, pomegranate is a way to do so, as well as recreating the traditional geometric patterns of chrysanth, cherry blossom, and cosmos flower. Despite our intention, though, there is always a touch of modern senses and new creation.
“I myself was not familiar with the traditional methods, so in a way I was free from some preconceptions of what to or not to do in my creation. If my thread-balls have certain freshness about it, it may owe to that” Eiko ARAKI says.
“Our thread-balls are to be part of daily life, something to be loved and caressed by their owners. That’s why each thread-ball I make has to be something I truly want for myself, too. ”
“I always remind myself to not “bully” cotton. It goes without saying that rubbing on the threads’ surface, when dying or even sewing, results in fluffs. So I try to avoid putting a strain on it as much as possible. Now I came to realise that these cotton threads even radiate subtle luster when handled right.
Another tip to enrich the cotton feel is to strategically wind each thread around core with least overlapping. This will help the surface to be evenly rounded and patterns to grow on its density.
It is also our aim to create something that goes with our current lifestyle, while incorporating the essence from traditional TEMARI. Our products are perfect for gifts, casual or formal, and for keeping by your side everyday.

香川県高松市内、江戸時代初期の大名庭園を守り伝える特別名勝・栗林公園。その園内に昭和40年（１９６５）開館の讃岐民芸館があります。日本各地の伝統工芸品や生活道具、郷土玩具など約４０００点を所蔵する、民芸館としては珍しく県の事業で生まれた空間です。
この民芸館の設立を県に提案し、展示品収集のために全国を奔走したのが、讃岐かがり手まり保存会の生みの親、荒木計雄でした。県の職員だった計雄は民芸復興にも熱心で、その活動の中で地元に伝わる木綿手まりの存在を知り、継承と保存のための調査研究に乗り出したのです。
江戸時代、地元の名産品である木綿の糸を草木染めした手まりは、西讃（讃岐地方西部）地方で盛んにつくられました。しかし、明治時代にゴムまりが普及すると、素朴な手まりづくりは次第に忘れ去られていきます。
計雄が調査をはじめた当時の西讃地方には、手まりをつくれる人はほとんどいませんでした。そこで、親交のあった松本民芸館（長野県松本市）の創設者である丸山太郎氏を訪ね、丸山氏の親族の女性から「かがり技法」の指導を受けました。また、草木染めの木綿糸を愛媛県染織試験場に依頼して確保し、研究を重ね、消えかけていた技に命を吹き込みました。
昭和52年（１９７７）、「讃岐かがり手まり」と命名、昭和58年（１９８３）には、妻の八重子とともに観音寺市にて「讃岐かがり手まり保存会」を立ち上げます。そして、翌年の昭和62年（１９８７）、香川県の伝統的工芸品の指定を受けました。
現在は、荒木永子が二人の遺志を受け継いでいます。

Traversing the nation and collecting pieces to exhibit, Kazuo Araki is one of the founders of the Sanuki Kagari Temari Preservation Association, and he proposed its founding to the prefecture. He worked for the government and was passionate about reviving folk art. It was during such efforts that he learned about cotton thread temari, a local tradition, and set about researching how to continue and preserve it.
During the Edo period, temari that used plant-dyed cotton thread, a local specialty, was all the rage in the Seisan region (western Sanuki). However, with the spreading of rubber temari in the Meiji period, the more rustic handmade variety slowly began to fade into obscurity.
When Kazuo began his research, almost no one in the Seisan region was still handcrafting temari. That's when he paid a visit to his friend Taro Maruyama, founder of the Matsumoto Folk Art Museum (Mastumoto City, Nagano Prefecture) and was instructed in darning techniques by a woman who was one of Maruyama's relatives. Additionally, he made a request of the dyeing and weaving laboratory in Ehime prefecture to secure plant-dyed cotton. His continued research breathed new life into these techniques.
In 1977 (Showa 52), he coined Sanuki Kagari Temari, and in 1986 (Showa 61), he founded the Sanuki Kagari Temari Preservation Association in Kan'onji City with his wife Yaeko. And the following year, 1987 (Showa 62), it was designated as a traditional handicraft of Kagawa prefecture.
Presently, Eiko Araki carries on the legacy they left behind.

現在の保存会は、産声を上げた観音寺市から高松市内へと拠点を移し、運営、指導スタッフと約100人のつくり手が、讃岐かがり手まりの技術を継承し、広く伝える活動を行っています。皆、木綿糸によるかがり手まりの穏やかな美しさや手仕事の楽しさに心魅かれて集まった人たちで、多くは香川県在住の女性です。
保存会の工房では、木綿糸を草木染めして彩り豊かにかがり糸を揃え、つくり手たちは色合わせに工夫をこらしながら、工芸品としてのしっかりとした技術指導を受け、基本から応用へと腕を磨いています。
「わたしと義母の手まりの雰囲気が違うように、人それぞれの色のセンスで手まりづくりができます。そこに楽しさがあると思います」
また、かがりに使う糸の準備や手まりの土台づくりなど、かがり手のほかにも、たくさんの手が手まりづくりを支えています。
完成した手まりには、手づくりの熨斗がかけられて、お客さまのもとへ。ひとつひとつに心を込めて、私たちは手まりをお届けしたいと思っています。

The current Preservation Association relocated from its birthplace of Kan'onji City to Takamatsu city, and its administrators, instructors, and around 100 crafters have inherited the techniques of Sanuki Kagari Temari and make efforts to promote them. These are people fascinated by the gentle beauty of cotton embroidery temari and enjoy handicraft, many of whom are women who reside in Kagawa prefecture.
In the preservation association's workshop, thread dyed with plant dyes in manifold hues is prepared. Crafters mix and match colors creatively as they receive proper instruction on the techniques of handicraft and polish their skills from the basics to practical application.
"In the same way that the temari my mother and I have a different feel to them, people can create temari using their own color sensibilities. I believe that's part of the fun."
We also have many hands who support the creation of temari besides the embroiderers themselves, such as those who prepare the thread we use and those who make temari stands.
Completed temari are adorned with a handmade noshi or ceremonial origami and sent to the customer. We want to provide these temari into which we've poured our heart and soul.